ANMELDENThe Tree Fiends could regenerate, but against this unreasonable "human artillery platform" and these "zombie bombs," they couldn't close the distance for the moment.However, just as Jake was getting into the thick of the slaughter, a strange pulse suddenly rippled out from deep within the mist.It made no sound at all, yet it made Jake's heart skip a beat.The Tree Fiends that had been attacking so furiously all stopped at once, as if they'd received some kind of command.They stopped roaring and stopped attacking. Instead, they respectfully withdrew to both sides, opening a wide path.It was like commoners welcoming the arrival of a king.Jake stopped what he was doing and stared intently at the far end of that path.Through the Pale Eye, he saw two eerie, twisted figures slowly approaching from deep within the mist.Their outward forms had been thoroughly mutated, becoming hideous and terrifying, but Jake still recognized at a glance the faint human features that remained.
On the south district streets, smoke hung thick in the air, and the mist churned.After the explosions, the street looked like a slaughterhouse.Within Jake's Pale Eye vision, dozens of Tree Fiends in the front row had been blown apart. Their deadwood bodies, once hard as iron, had turned brittle under the silver's corrosion. Severed limbs flew through the air, and dark-green pus splattered across the street.Some Tree Fiends had even been blasted to dust, leaving nothing behind but a scorched crater.A successful first strike!Yet, the expression on Jake's face didn't relax in the slightest. If anything, it grew more grave.Because he saw that the shattered Tree Fiend remains weren't dying the way ordinary monsters did.A low hum filled the air.As if answering some summons, the surrounding mist rushed madly into the remains.The broken limbs began to regenerate, and the pulverized torsos pulled themselves back together.It took only a few seconds. Not only had every Tree Fi
In the past, that alone would have been enough to severely contaminate Jake's mind, maybe even drag him straight into a mental illusion and turn him into a walking corpse.But now, under the Pale Eye's vision, he wasn't affected much. His eyes stayed clear."Phew..."Jake took a deep breath and used his 1,000 points of Physique to force himself steady, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.Now that he could see them clearly, this would be easy."Angel! Come out, it's time to work!"At a single thought, he swept out his hand."Roar!"The winged Zombie Sovereign, Tyrant Angel, surged out like a flood, bringing seven Tyrants in heavy armor and a dense zombie army with it."Go!"Jake gave the order.Although they faced unknown Tree Fiends, the Zombie Legion under Angel's command showed no fear at all. Roaring, they charged out of the gas streetlamp's safe zone and plunged headlong into the billowing mist.Then something bizarre happened.There seemed to be some kind of myster
With a hiss, the flame inside the gas streetlamp's old-fashioned glass shade shot up.Warm yellow light poured down, raising an umbrella of light in a world swallowed by mist.The light drove back the mist within about three feet, enveloping Jake as he stood beneath the lamp.Jake glanced down at his feet.The asphalt gleamed cold and hard, but strangely... he cast no shadow.He lifted his head and looked past that curtain of warm yellow light toward the street ahead.Three feet beyond the lamp's glow, thick white mist churned and surged. Nothing could be seen through it.At the same time, the once-silent street suddenly came "alive."Eerie hissing and snarls, heavy footsteps, and spine-chilling whispers that sounded as if they were right beside his ear rose and fell all around him.Deep in the mist, where nothing could be seen, it seemed as though countless scarlet eyes had all lit up at once.An ordinary player, even one who had awakened a Specialization, would have been he
Sam exclaimed, "Is the town's curse really this terrifying? One night's sleep and yesterday gets wiped from his memories?"If we stay a few more days, won't we even forget why we came here, or forget the Mist Town side quest altogether?"How are we supposed to escape from this town then? We'll turn into one of the dimwitted locals here for real!"Just thinking about the consequences made Sam shudder.Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned to Jake and asked, puzzled, "Hold on, Jake, how come you're fine?"Your eyes are clear, and you're thinkin' straight. You aren't dazed at all like Gavin here.""Yeah..."Jake leaned back in his chair, a little puzzled himself. 'Why am I fine?'Could it be his high Mind?After all, his Mind was now nearly 1,000 points, far beyond that of an ordinary person.No, that probably wasn't the reason.Leon had said before that the curse had no absolute connection to how much Mind someone had. It only had to do with whether they'd eaten the
The Mist Town. Seven in the morning.As the bell rang out, the thick fog that had blanketed the town all night receded swiftly like an ebbing tide.The eerie knocking and roaring vanished along with it without a trace.Jake sat at the dining table, eating the sandwiches and hot milk Bella had prepared while looking out the window at the street.The blank-faced residents had reappeared and, like NPCs following a preset program, began their day's labor.'Today is my third day in the Mist Town.'Jake swallowed a mouthful of milk and felt the warmth settle in his stomach, while his mind raced.According to Sheriff Leon, starting today, any player who hadn't eaten the Sacred Fruit would begin to be eroded by the curse and lose their memories.And yet...More than an hour had passed since he woke up.Jake made a point of going back over every detail since he'd entered the Mist Town.Every memory was crystal clear, as if carved into his brain.He didn't feel like he'd forgotten an







